On April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ was organized in the home of Peter Whitmer in Fayette, New York. In preparation for this event, Joseph Smith received a revelation with detailed instructions on how to administer the church. That revelation, which has been called “the Constitution of the Church,” contains information about:
- Church history and doctrine – the Book of Mormon, our Heavenly Father, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, justification, and sanctification (Doctrine and Covenants 20:1-36)
- Duties of members and various officers – elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and members (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37-69)
- Ordinances – blessing of babies, baptism, and the sacrament (Doctrine and Covenants 20:70-79)
- Record-keeping (Doctrine and Covenants 20:80-84)
During this inaugural meeting of the church, Joseph received a revelation reaffirming his role as the first elder of the church and reaffirming some of his spiritual gifts. The Lord instructed church members to receive his words as if they came directly from the Lord, “in all patience and faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:5).
Within days, a controversy arose. Even though the Lord had specified that people joining the church should be baptized (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37), some people who had previously been baptized wanted to become members of the church without being baptized again. Joseph prayed and received a revelation reaffirming the requirement of baptism for entry into the church. “Enter ye in at the gate, as I have commanded” said the Lord, “and seek not to counsel your God” (Doctrine and Covenants 22:4).
Here are lessons I have learned from these revelations:
- The Book of Mormon teaches the principles we need to understand in order to receive the grace of God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and return to our Father in Heaven: What Is the Fulness of the Gospel?
- We each have unique capabilities, and we therefore each have unique opportunities to contribute to God’s work: Gifts and Callings – Moroni 3:4.
- Our good works constitute the tangible evidence that our repentance is genuine: What Is “Fruit Meet for Repentance?”
- Baptism can remind us to strive to emulate the unity of the Godhead: What Can We Learn from the Words of the Baptismal Ordinance?
- The sacrament prayers both consist of three parts – the petition, the purpose, and the promises: What Can We Learn from the Sacrament Prayers?
- The sacrament can connect me to past spiritual experiences and help me remember times of closeness with God: “Which I Have Shown unto You” – 3 Nephi 18:7.
- Taking upon ourselves the name of Christ can have many meanings: Ye Must Take upon You the Name of Christ – 3 Nephi 27:5-6.
- Members of the church must do our very best to abandon all of our sins, not just some of them: That They Truly Repented of All Their Sins – Moroni 6:1-3.
- The words of prophets may push us out of our comfort zone as they challenge us to be better than we have been before. We must follow their guidance “in all patience and faith”: Preaching and Testifying Boldly – 3 Nephi 6:20-21.
- We should approach God in an attitude of learning, not of demanding: Seek Not to Counsel the Lord – Jacob 4:10
Blog Posts: March 2-7
“Pray Always” – 2 Nephi 32:9
Near the end of his writings, Nephi urged his readers to “pray always, and not faint.” He went on to explain: Ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy…
“The Work to Which I Have Been Called” – Alma 29:6
Contributing to a greater cause is fulfilling, but it requires us to set aside our ego, be modest in our expectations, and recognize the contributions of others. Alma was so committed to bring others to Christ that he wrote, “O that I were an angel!” He wanted to “speak with the trump of God, with…
Expound and Exhort
I’ve been thinking today about two verbs that appear repeatedly in section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants: “expound” and “exhort.” Elders, priests, teachers, and deacons are all instructed to do both. (See Doctrine and Covenants 20:42, 46, 50, 59.) Several sections later, the Lord directs Emma Smith to “expound scriptures, and to exhort the…
Gifts and Callings
We all have capabilities (gifts), and we all have opportunities to serve (callings). The apostle Paul encouraged the members of the church in Ancient Rome to be patient with their friends who were non-believers. Perhaps these friends were not currently using their gifts and fulfilling their callings, but “the gifts and calling of God are…
Dead Works – Moroni 8:23
Some things we do simply aren’t worth our energy. In a letter to his son, Mormon discussed an issue that had caused some contention in the church: Do small children need to be baptized? Mormon responded that baptism is for people who are old enough to know right from wrong. “Little children are alive in…
Record-keeping
The first sentence in the Book of Mormon is about the importance of keeping records. Nephi tells us that, because the Lord had blessed him with “goodly parents,” who taught him, and because he had been “highly favored of the Lord” in spite of enduring many afflictions, “therefore I make a record of my proceedings…
Glad you mentioned this: “The Lord instructed church members to receive his words as if they came directly from the Lord, “in all patience and faith.”
It’s such a great reminder that while our church is directed by Christ through revelation, He is revealing His divine will to imperfect people. We need to put our faith in Christ, especially as He works through His woefully imperfect and weak servants. I know He has patience with us and am striving to follow His example in developing patience as I seek to strengthen my faith in Christ.
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It’s an important reminder. We need to be patient with one another and certainly to be patient with church leaders as the Lord reveals His will to them.
And sometimes, we need to be patient with ourselves as we adapt to the revealed will of the Lord. Change is hard and sometimes doesn’t happen overnight.
Thanks for the comment!